Decor & Renovation

Style to go: A budget-friendly camper revamp

DIY blogger Jolie Dionne took her summer on the road by revamping an old camper–for less than $1000!

On the hunt for a "portable cottage" to enjoy during the summer months, DIY blogger Jolie Dionne (vintagemeetsglam.com) opened her laptop and started searching. After only a week, she found on Kijiji what she was looking for: a run-down 1968 Sprite Caravan camper, which she immediately snapped up for $1,300. But before Jolie and her husband, Eric, could start camping along the beautiful beaches of New Brunswick, the Sprite needed a little sprucing up. In true DIY fashion, the couple tackled the project themselves, painting the interior, replacing the flooring and installing an adhesive backsplash in the kitchen. But the largest, most time-consuming task was making over the worn exterior. First, they sanded the outside of the camper and removed the caulking. Then, they painstakingly recaulked the seams and painted the exterior green and white. For the cool painted scallop detail—an ode to vintage ice cream trucks—Jolie simply used tape and a large bowl to get the job done. After a few months of hard work and some great budget-friendly finds, the Sprite has been transformed into a bright and cheerful hardtop "tent" on wheels.

Mini kitchen
New wood trim and a fresh coat of paint transformed this mini kitchen.

Photography by Jennifer Irving, Styling by Judith Mackin

Dining area
The tabletop was wrapped with faux-marble adhesive paper that Jolie found at the dollar store!